Takani Chronicles : The Legends' Genesis
by Naruto Takani
Summary: A retired inventor intervenes to save Naruto, and ultimately changes his life. And through him, the world enters a new era. This is the first Volume of the Takani Journals. Halo/Clone Wars influence, not exactly a crossover. Strong, smart, soldier
1. Childhood of Torment, A New Idea Arises

Date of Journal Entry: November 16, 052 P.K.S. (Post-Kyûubi Sealing); 0937hrs (Military Calendar)

Location: Fire Fortress Bravo (IUMF Base Installation); Brazen City, Federation of the United Ninja-States (Formerly Known As: The Elemental Nations Continent).

Captain Naruto Takani Research Log

Subject: Naruto Uzumaki, Vol. 1/Part 1

The SPIRE Prophecy: The Legends' Genesis

Preamble

_Please know what you will read will be in a third person 'informed' (not limited) format. There will be many different sources here that have been compiled in chronological order to recreate a real and authentic account of past events in a story format for reading enjoyment. After gathering all information in existence, I have finally completed the first part of a literary work that is half-biography of one of the most influential people in history and his comrades, and half-fictionalized epic novel for your personal entertainment. As such, the world can now know of the one who saved it time after time. He was the man my parents named me after. And now we will start, at the very, very beginning._

_Before The Apocalypse War …_

_The I.U.M.F. …_

_The Fourth Great Shinobi War…_

_The United Ninja Army…_

_The Siege of Pain…_

_The Akatsuki Incidents…_

_The Spring Generator Event…_

_The Sand-Sound Invasion…_

_The Defense of Hidden Waterfall Village…_

_The Reclamation of the Fallen City..._

_The War of the Waves…_

_The Skirmish on Kikyo Mountain..._

_The Birth of the U.T.C.…_

_And Many Other Events…_

_There Was a Child of Destiny._

_A Hero…_

_A Unifier…_

_A Leader…_

_A Protector…_

_The Sentinel Prime…_

_And before even that, there was just an innocent little boy._

Key:

"Speech"

'_Thoughts_'

"**Voice Filter"**

"Radio-link"

_\Telepathy Communication\_

"_Scrolls/Emphatic Speech/ Writing"_

"SHOUTING/2 OR MORE PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU"

"**Great Beast/Greater Summon Speech**"

'_**Great Beast/ Greater Summon Thought'**_

Scene Change/Flashback (End Flashback)

Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 1, Childhood of Torment May 17, 5 P.K.S. (Post-Kyûubi Sealing); Timeframe Between 2100hrs to 2300hrs Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village)

It was late in the night, and the full white moon hung ominously overhead, casting pale rays upon the ground. It illuminated many dark streets and alleys in the small ninja village known as Konoha. It was currently spring, so the nighttime air chilly, but not unbearably so. The faint breeze gave a gentle whisper to the darkness. And no matter how much frightened another would be, the young child enjoyed the environment he was in.

The night made him feel… somewhat safe. Maybe it was that the shadows hid him from sight. And the wind seemed to be a friend quietly talking to him, making its presence all the more soothing. Despite it all, he was still moving silently with the constant fear of being attacked at any moment. Since his eyes could adjust to light with incredible clarity, his uncanny vision made him able to see in low light areas. With years of experience, he nimbly made it his way through the back alleys of Konoha, maneuvering around the worst of the rubbish or rubble.

This was just another night in his life. Another night as Uzumaki Naruto, struggling to survive. He had spent years struggling, learning the 'do's and 'don't's of this village, he learned how to hide, and remain hidden for long periods of time, he learned how to move, and even how to fight. While useless against the ones with the vests and metal plates, he was able to sometimes able to use his surroundings in the streets to discourage the other ones from chasing him. The traps were basic but often very dirty, especially in the alleys. But the other ones were different; you wouldn't ever be able to tell if a weak-looking person was really one or not until it was too late.

Naruto was an orphan, never knowing neither his mother nor his father, and had no other family whatsoever. He was basically alone. There was only one person who he knew, but it wasn't on a personal level. Though the Hokage, leader of their village, tended to drop by to check on him, and was the one responsible for giving him a home in a simple apartment where he lived alone.

He suddenly heard something behind him. When he turned around, he saw four adults wearing black cloaks. There was no way he could outrun them or fight back. He stood still and waited for the inevitable pain, and sure enough, it began as he was attacked yet again. Naruto had lost consciousness within a minute of their assault.

"Hey!" came a voice from down the street. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" demanded an angry-looking man while walking swiftly towards them. It was quick, but the men shared a glance and disappeared as he drew close. "Oh… Kami-sama..." He whispered horrified as he looked down at the thoroughly mutilated boy. '_This isn't good! Massive hemorrhaging throughout the body, he's covered in lacerations, I think they also severed several of his vital arteries!' _the man thought in controlled panic as he took off his light sweater. Acting quickly, he tore it apart thinking it was lucky that he had just cleaned it. Taking the rags, he used them as makeshift tourniquets and gauzes to slow what bleeding he could. '_The internal damage must be even worse. I need to get him to an ER fast!"_

Several Minutes Later. The Konoha General Hospital Emergency Room, Konohagakure no Sato.

The man was quick to approach a nurse upon entering the building; the apparent sight of a bleeding child who was currently unrecognizable made it easier to get the boy taken care of fast. He was quickly directed to an operating room where a female doctor and a nurse began to treat the boy as the man moved to the wall. However, when the blood and grime on the boy's face was wiped away, the doctor recognized Naruto and stopped immediately.

The man could sense the tension in the air before the doctor took a step back from the child. "We don't treat its kind here." She said coldly, turning to the man.

"His kind?" the man repeated more coldly than the woman. "…Do you see this?" he said through gritted teeth, showing them a small cane. "I couldn't use this to get here because I needed both hands to carry the boy. So now, I'm exhausted, in excruciating pain, and now I'm told that you refuse to fulfill your oath as doctor when he is concerned. As a result, I am _really_ cranky right now. Therefore if that is your final answer, I _will_ beat you unconscious and when you wake up you _will _be in front of the head of the Torture and Interrogation Division of the ANBU Black Ops. That's a promise."

"What? On what grounds?" the doctor demanded indignantly.

"Such blatant abuse towards the Yondamine's Legacy and utter disrespect for his last wish. Your actions aren't just criminal, they're treasonous!" the man growled menacingly. "And treason towards the village, and the Yondamine of all people, is a capitol offense. So are you willing to reconsider, or will I have to resort to harsher methods?" he said gripping his cane.

"Sumi-san, let me handle this." Came voice n the doorway. The speaker revealed to be a man with jet-black hair closely cut, and brown eyes. He was wearing a doctor's clothing and glasses that did nothing to hide his glare. "You two go and check up on the workers who were injured in that gas explosion." He said calmly walking into the room, his eyes never leaving the other man.

"Um… sure, Shinryû-san." She said looking between the two. She noted as soon as they left, her co-worker closed and locked the door behind them at the back of her mind.

"Takará-san, never, _ever_ threaten another person while you are within this building. Are we clear?" Shinryû asked sharply.

"Yes." Takará answered without hesitation as he watched the doctor tend to the boy. "I trust this isn't the first time this happened." He said coldly, his distaste of the treatment towards the boy still evident.

"Takará-san, you _know_ I can't give you much details about that. However, how did the once assistant-head of the Research and Development Department find this boy, and at this late hour?" Shinryû asked, his voice and face portraying no emotion as he healed the boy using his medical jutsu.

Takará was quiet for a moment as he looked at the boy, before he let out a sigh. He seemed to slump over ever so slightly as if he was tired or depressed.

Shinryû looked up at the man and took in his appearance. Takará had graying brown hair, glasses, civilian clothing of jeans and a black t-shirt. He had never seen him in casual attire before. Shinryû knew the man enough to realize something was off.

"I've heard some rumors, ones that I could not forget." Takará said quietly looking down to the floor. "I wanted to see if the village was really this..." he trailed off since he wasn't sure how to finish his sentence.

"So you strolled in the late night looking for trouble? That's crazy, even for you." The doctor stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "He'll be fine, by the way." He added almost as an afterthought. "His physiology is quite remarkable. He body has superhuman durability and he can heal naturally at an unreal rate." _'The possibilities if it is his own body's doing, a side-effect of the sealing... This is an ideal soldier's gene. The incredible chakra, the resilience, the accelerated and advanced healing factor, and who knows what else, are all enviable abilities. It makes perfect sense why ROOT wanted to draft him. If this could be replicated, or reproduced as a bloodline than it could rival the Uchiha and Hyuuga bloodlines. _

"Shinryû, do you think I could speak with the Hokage within a few hours?" Takará asked, looking pensive. Shinryû could see a gleam in his eyes that made him curious. He may not know how Takará's brain worked, but he could tell when it worked.

Shinryû somehow feeling excitement at what that look was. However it was promptly crushed when past memories came to him. "Gambáru Takará, just what are you thinking about?" Shinryû asked, using the man's full name to show he was serious.

"Well Shinryû, while they won't respect the last wish of Namikaze-dono, I definitely will." He said strongly. "Shinryû… he needs help." He said much quieter, sounding sad. It was obvious he was sympathetic to the boy. "And we _can_ help him. We can help him be the best."

"Do you mean to tell me that you want to make him your lab rat?" Shinryû demanded suddenly seeing where this was going. "SLAYER was a complete failure! You spoke out against it yourself! You know first hand what happened to those poor miserable creatures that the SLAYER Project turned them into! So how could you wish to but him through that?"

"Shinryû, you know me, I would never do such a thing. But…" Takará trailed of when he suddenly grimaced. "Ow…" he mumbled, sitting down on the ground as he clutched his hip.

"I also know you enough to tell when that light goes on in your mind. Just what are you playing at, Takará-san?" Shinryû asked more forcefully then before.

"Seven or so years, right?" Takará asked as he mentally calculated the probability of the program being a success: then he recalled certain conversations in the past. And then he had an obvious answer: yes. "SLAYER was almost entirely ROOT controlled. We had very little influence, so with those fools who were all but warmongers in charge, it was obvious that the whole thing would be a waste of time, resources, and lives from the start. But we couldn't do anything. I am talking about something entirely different, remember that theory codename: SENTINEL?"

Shinryû narrowed his eyes and frowned. "That was basically an entire adjustment to the Academy's lessons, right? The whole thing trained them for combat… but not as shinobi. A soldier that can fight exceptionally well in small groups in skirmishes on missions and in open warfare between armies both."

"That's not all of it, but a it _is_ a part of it. The Sentinel Program is possibly the ideal course for him. I have already finished the curriculum years ago, but I never got the chance to present it because of chaotic events that disorganized the village." Takará clarified.

Shinryû nodded to show he understood, the fox attack and the war with Kumo were very demanding for the medical staff. They didn't have time to review a training program, especially for one as radical and theoretical as _that_ one. It was completely inconceivable.

"And under a year ago, these events mostly stopped. The Yondamine clearly encouraged me make an actual draft of the program before he died." Takará continued, "I think he would want us to do this, to protect and support his Legacy. Putting the boy in the Sentinel Program is only fitting." Takará explained, in a somewhat incoherent fashion. Shinryû could figure out the gist of it though, and was going to wait for more information before chose to support, or more likely, protest about it.

Shinryû also knew that the man's head was probably swimming from pain and exertion right now. Trying to get more information now would be just as vague and confusing as his words before. And by tomorrow, it would be redundant as well when they discussed it with the Hokage. '_Sentinel… one who has been given the duty to guard and protect something or a group of people. In this case, both: the village _and_ its people.'_ He thought as he recalled the definition.

Shinryû turned to Naruto and looked down at him thoughtfully. '_You might be an even greater savior of this village then you were before …you already began to guard us and Konohagakure that hellish night_.' "Alright I'll hear you out," Shinryû said in a resigned tone, "Tomorrow I will inform the Hokage of your presentation. We can discuss this… Sentinel Program then, and everyone in our old branch will be there. So if it's not good enough yet, tell me now before you waste everyone's time."

"It will be worth their while, some have actually waited a long time for this. I trust you can look after the boy, so with your permission, I will take my leave. I have to get up early to ensure everything is organized as best as possible before the meeting tomorrow." Takará said wearily as he rose to his feet with the aid of his simple brown cane. '_I should probably ask her to watch over Naruto in the morning... She'll look after him and might Tsu should have some of what I need, he 'll deliver positive results if I give him that-' _

"Yes, Takará-san, you are dismissed." The doctor replied, breaking the man from his musings. "Have a good rest, we're all counting on you…" Shinryû said before hesitating. "…Boss." Takará froze in the doorway, not quite believing what he heard. "The second chance for our disbanded R&W branch relies on you now Takará-sama; just you and your work."

Takará thought he would never hear that from another R&W Department member, let alone from his own branch after they were dissolved and he had to resign. Someone had to go down for the results of Project SLAYER, or lack thereof. But was he now forgiven for his past failures? He couldn't let them all down twice; he'd never forgive himself. '_This has to work!_' The man thought as he left. And he had the upmost resolve to make sure it did succeed, too much was at stake.


	2. Forthright Caucus

Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 2, Forthright Caucus

May 18, 480 RN, (5 PKS); 0507hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), South-Eastern Neighborhood

There was knocking at the door, at five in the morning. Five in the morning! The woman growled in irritation, she didn't know who was on the other side of the door but if they didn't have a _damn_ good reason to bother her she was going to give them hell. She was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever.

She opened the door to see a familiar man.

"Takará-san?" she asked surprised, her sour mood instantly forgotten. This was honestly the last person she would expect to have shown up at her door.

"Hello, Hánjô-san. I know this is a bad time right now, and I'm sorry to disturb you, but I really need your help with something." Takará said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"With what?" Hánjô asked while trying to focus on the man in front of her, as she was still groggy from her interrupted sleep.

"… For lack of a better word…" Takará began rubbing his chin before putting both hands back on the cane in front of him, "babysitting." He finished anti-climatically and still somehow keeping a strait face.

"…"

"…"

"…You wanna run that by me again?" Hánjô asked sardonically, her voice sounding a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

May 18, 480 RN, (5 P.K.S.); 0546hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), Konoha General Hospital

Shinryû was exercising his multi-tasking skills more than usual today. Ever since his old boss had showed up with Naruto, he was preparing to pick apart SENTINEL as soon as possible. He knew that the Hokage would have his objections, and he was going to need convincing. He sent out a few messages for several of his former co-workers, who would hopefully be willing to get out of the bed to read the delivered messages this early in the morning. And while he was going around, preparing for the presentation that was going to be within a few hours, but he still had to focus on his doctor-related duties.

"Shôrei Shinryû, please report to the second floor lobby." The PA droned overhead, "Shôrei Shinryû, please report to the second floor lobby. Thank you."

The man sighed in exasperation, as he obliged the instructions he was given. _'Now_ _what? Can't I have a little time to do _one_ task before doing another? And why do they need _me_ all of a sudden?'_

The doctor walked strait up to the reception desk as soon as he entered the lobby. "What did you call me for?" he asked bluntly, felling a little impatient.

"There is a visitor asking for you."

Shinryû was caught off guard by that response. Was the old man back already? "Where is he?" the doctor inquired.

"_She_ is behind you." Came a familiar female voice. And it was no real surprise that the voice apparently came from behind the doctor.

The man turned to the speaker, and sure enough, it was Hánjô. Her green eyes were a little unfocused when he took in her appearance, showing her lingering fatigue. In addition to her tired expression, she was fully dressed in her Konoha Military Officer Uniform showing that she was more than any mere genin-level ninja. Not to mention the fact that it showed she was awake enough to put the whole thing on correctly.

The Konoha standard-issue MOU included a dark blue jumpsuit with an emblem on either upper arm, located at just about the middle of the biceps. At the bottom of the legs, there were bandages that tied the cloth tightly to her legs. Beneath the bandages on her legs were black combat gozi sandals on her feet. The emblem was a moderately large circle with a thin black, loosely curved spiral inside it. There was an identical emblem on the middle-back of her armored flack-vest. The her vest itself was identical to any other Mark-III Konoha Ninja Vest; the newer version had been around for about two decades by now ago so the added triplets of Makimono Pouches with their quick-release latches on them that were placed on the left and right of the forward torso were very much now commonplace. And while the alloyed inner-layer filaments with the reinforcing special-composition thread covering were strong materials, the vest was still very much penetrable by chakra reinforced weapons, ninjutsu, and shrapnel from explosions of traps. Despite this apparent vulnerability, the vest is valued greatly as it muffles the damage the wearer receives from lesser attacks, allowing the wearer to take more enemy ordnance and fight with minimum hindrance, among other beneficial reasons. Also, there is this impressive far more durable Tactical Combat Ninja Vest that only the ANBU Black Ops use due to the expensive manufacturing cost, but that was currently irrelevant.

"You're here? This is… fast." Shinryû muttered aloud. "The old man is pulling all the stops out, isn't he?" he looked thoughtful, thinking of his boss's reasons to sending Hánjô, a psychiatrist and chûnin-level ninja.

Hánjô tilted her head to the side slightly and lifted an eyebrow. "Why do you think I'm here, Shinryû?" she asked calmly.

"Aren't you here to profile the boy?" the doctor asked a bit confused. "Isn't that your specialty, Hánjô-san?"

"I'm here to look after him for the day as a guardian. Not to profile, but… to council if necessary. He has been in what would be a traumatic experience to anyone, especially a child."

Shinryû had to bite back the first few remarks about the 'sudden traumatic experience' that came to his mind. He unfortunately couldn't… enlighten her, it would violate the patient confidential policy that he fully intended to uphold as a physician.

"But mainly, I'm here to keep him out of trouble for the day. I'm doing this a favor that Takará cashed in, that's all really. He probably just wants to make sure the boy will be okay." Hánjô continued simply with a shrug.

"I see." Shinryû said calmly once Hánjô finished her explanation of why she was here. He spoke in an oddly neutral voice while turning around. "Follow me."

"One thing that's bugging me… how did he know I was having a bad morning?" Hánjô asked aloud as she fell into step behind Shinryû.

"Well…" Shinryû trailed off before looking over his shoulder with a wry grin. "You're still half-asleep, aren't you?" He asked in amusement.

"And what does that have to do with it?" Hánjô inquired, in a deceptively mild tone. _'If I wasn't a disciplined chûnin, I'd whack that smirk of his face with the nearest broom. ' _She thought darkly, recalling the time she had hit him with a nearby broom when he was late for a _really_ important appointment.

"As you already know, the old man was once a ninja of Konoha, and you are now one yourself, right? I heard you enlisted after we disbanded." Shinryû explained not bothering to hear Hánjô's answer to his question. "Even though he is crippled, his senses are particularly acute." He pointed out as they went up the stairs to the next floor.

"I missed your point." Hánjô said, she was still tired but she knew she was forgetting _something_.

"As a ninja, he would be able to detect your no doubt murderous aura. Besides, even if he wasn't a retired shinobi, he was knocking on your door early in the morning. Obviously, most wouldn't take to kindly to that." Shinryû explained calmly, ignoring her poorly hid embarrassed blush. Apparently, she wasn't very good at ninja deceptions in the morning, or just didn't care enough in this instance to do so. "Now, what do you know about this already…?"

"I…" Hánjô trailed off, grinning impishly. "He's trying to surprise you isn't he?"

The doctor stopped leading her to what she assumed was the child's room and turned fully around to glare at her darkly. The 'old man' had always tried to keep Shinryû in the dark with the rest of them when he wanted to work with their initial reactions to his latest fully composed and organized proposal. However, Shinryû could sometimes be proactive to a fault. So Takará would have to work to surprise Shinryû along with the rest of them.

"He is, isn't he?" Hánjô stated more than asked, full of mirth. It was almost like the old days.

"I already know everything. I was asking: what do _you_ know?" Shinryû replied annoyed.

May 18, 480 RN, (5 P.K.S.); 1104hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), Secure Briefing Room 7B

The group that was set to gather in exactly four hours was for the most part already present. Right now they were split up into small groups of three and four, all seemingly in a very concentrated discussion. Some of them were going over papers or charts, a few simply talking patiently with blank notepads. Despite their small number, they were making a fairly loud racket that was completely inaudible to those on the outside.

However, there were still quite a few people missing from the room. Such as the Hokage, his busy schedule made it difficult for him to be present at last minute meetings. The people of the medical panel were absent because they were still on call, and could not abandon their duty to their patients. A minute few had other jobs and other duties to attend to first, such as making sure their children would be all right in their absence. However, many of them will never arrive at this meeting. War, tragedy, and a giant fox had made sure of that. And others still, had left Konohagakure, even going as far as their home countries, after they were disbanded. It would be days for the entire group to arrive.

Among the seriousness in the room, there was a subtle excitement buzzing around them. When they heard that Gambáru Takará had called a meeting with the Hokage, almost everything in their lives was put on hold. They still remembered when they worked under him, the one whose creativity and intelligence created their special R & D branch in the first place.

It under the guidance of Takará, they swiftly began to produce exceptional results. Medical advancements were made, comprehension of jutsu theory had increased exponentially, and several other achievements were created. These results were shared with their main sponsor, Konoha; and in turn, Konoha passed the results down to its allies.

The enemy, to prevent being slow to take advantage of their results that were quickly saving the lives of many of their enemies' ninja forces, formed teams of their own. Within a few years, teams that were formed in enemy countries had managed to catch up. And in light of that, the enemy and their sponsors focused their attention on other matters.

This meant that their branch quickly declined to lack of funding. This slowed their progress, and it continued to slow as funding was cut even more due to lack of results. This cycle continued until they were eventually disbanded, each leaving on their own path. Those that remained in Konoha were forced to watch helplessly as SLAYER failed; and in frustration the higher-ups in charge blamed the only logical person beside themselves, Takará.

The ROOT spokesman said it was Takará's lack of cooperation that the project failed, so he was quickly discredited as a result. The accusations were spiteful enough to make him resign from his job as the assistant-head of R&W. Everyone cut ties with him after that, except for a select few.

They had been disbanded for seven years now and were finally getting back together again. But it was a little vague why, so they were trying to prepare for anything. All they knew was that Takará had one last project proposal, several years in the making. They could only guess just what it really was.

The doors opened causing everyone present to turn to the newcomer out of curiosity. It revealed to be another former team member, one of the most influential and innovative members seconded by only their Takará.

"He said people had been looking forward to this, but this is _ridiculous_. Four hours? All of you are around _four hours early_?" Shinryû asked incredulously from the doorway, eliciting a chuckle from several people in the room.

"Come now, Shinryû, we're only a few minutes earlier than you." Anzen replied, with a grin. Anzen was a middle age-man with dark red hair and deep brown eyes filled with mirth. He was currently wearing formal attire that he would wear in court when he acted as an attorney. He was both scientist and a laywer. His specialty towards patents, property, and legal lab protocol had proven extremely helpful through the years. "Why are _you_ early anyways?" He countered further, but he also asked curiosity as well.

"I came here to help Takará-san set up before his presentation. He was going to need it." Shinryû answered with a shrug.

"So you know what it's about then?" asked Semái, sounding hopeful as she leaned fowardin her chair. Semái was a woman with shoulder-length blue hair and brown eyes. She was a civilian mother now, but her mind and wit were as sharp as ever.

"Yes…" Shinryû said cautiously, looking warily at the usually boisterous when excited woman.

"Shut up and just tell us, will you?" Sakemé spoke up annoyed, as brusque as ever. Sakemé was a bit of a mystery despite his forthright personality; he didn't speak much, if at all, of his past. Despite his unknown origins, he had proved himself time and again as an exceptional team member and a good friend. His intense black eyes and naturally white hair made it difficult to guess his age, he knew it too and enjoyed leaving them guessing. However, he did not like it one bit when people made _him_ beat around the bush.

"Well, aren't you a bucket of sunshine today?" Shímbô said sarcastically, glancing at the man next to him.

"Isn't he?" Anzen added, his grin still present.

"Anyways, he can only do one thing or the other, Sakemé-san." Shímbô continued to his colleague. "Shinryû-san can either 'shut up' or 'tell us', not both."

Sakemé turned to Shímbô and glared with his already intense eyes. Shímbô quickly realized first hand that the combination was rather disconcerting up close. What he didn't realize was that Sakemé had to put significant effort to remain glaring and not laugh while Shímbô shifted nervously in his seat.

"Jerk." Sakemé spat emotionlessly, before turning his attenuation back to Shinryû.

"Smart ass, actually." Mánagetsu corrected with a cheeky smile rivaling Anzen's, unable to resist. They always had fun with their friendly jibes and teasing.

"Enough!" Shinryû shouted, instantly reclaiming all of their attention. "We need to take this seriously if we're going to have anything to smile about later!" Once they seemed to have begun focusing on the present, he continued. "We are short handed and we _have to_ make sure that we are ready to present to the Hokage. I don't want to waste his time with… this thing."

"What is it that made you so unsupportive?" Semái asked suddenly cautious. "What has the man done now to get under your skin?"

"She's right," Mánagetsu added narrowing his eyes. "You seem to already think that this is a waste of your _and_ the Hokage's time and are doing this begrudgingly."

"It's not that I'm completely against it, it's because I don't believe the Hokage will approve with the subject selection, I don't approve myself." Shinryû answered.

"Subject? For what?" Sakemé inquired.

Shinryû sighed and looked down for a moment before meeting their eyes again.

"He's finished the SENTINEL Program." Shinryû stated.

The room abruptly exploded in chaos.

May 18, 480 RN, (5 P.K.S.); 1005hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), North-Eastern Village. Business District 2

"You're telling me that we're going to go to a meeting over this _today?_"

"Why can't you do it, _today?_" Takará demanded sharply in return. "We have a few hours Tsú. And I know this won't work without you." Takará continued in a softer tone.

Tsúyosa drew his eyebrows together and sighed as he looked down at his office desk. "What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked in a significantly calmer voice.

"You just have to focus on SENTINEL, that's all. Organize and structure your data, and make copies to pass around to everyone. You don't have to present any other related project; so don't worry about it, okay?" Takará explained before handing Tsúyosa a large, blue binder. "Here, you'll need this."

"Is this-?" Tsúyosa began in disbelief as he opened the binder and set it down on his desk.

"Yes." Takará answered casually, making light of the situation.

"How… where'd you ever-?" Tsúyosa tried again, reading the contents with the utmost scrutiny, despite his shock.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. But to quote a friend: 'if I told you, I'd have to tell everyone, and frankly, the world isn't ready to know.'" Takará hinted with a knowing smile.

"So, this is from _him_, but some of this looks like Namikaze-sama's work. They really pulled out all the stops on this, didn't they?" Tsúyosa said in admiration.

"Mm-hmm." Takará agreed with a nod, not bothering to hide his smirk.

"I wish I had this earlier!" Tsúyosa exclaimed enthusiastically before turning to the other man with a huge, energetic smile. "You've got yourself a Sentinel!"

"Things are in motion, and in a bit the fun's gonna start." Takará said in an intense, controlled but eager tone and expression.

Tsúyosa gave a knowing smirk like he had done many years before.

Maybe…

_Just maybe_…

One of the absolutely extraordinary secrets under his charge might be about to come true. And that meant one day other secrets that he guarded and catalogued and maintained could go true! To see the real things, not just on paper…

Tsúyosa felt his entire being shivered and vibrating in anticipation and excitement. _"I can't wait."_ Informed his superior in a remarkably controlled voice. "Everything is going to change, isn't it?" Tsúyosa spoke downtrodden all of the sudden.

"Yes." Takará answered in certainty.

"This SENTINEL program has so much potential, it's scary… will the change be for the good?" he asked Takará in nervousness.

"I can't answer that. It seems that all our hopes rest in one boy. One boy and his heart." Takará answered somberly, looking down with a serious expression.

May 18, 480 RN; 1105hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), Secure Briefing Room 7B

"S-SentineL?" Shímbô stutter incredulously. "_The _SENTINEL 'super-shinobi' program?"

"Didn't he learn anything from SLAYER?" Anzen demanded indignantly.

"Hey," Semái spoke up, "Isn't that the whole point? We are now at a relative peace, the village and the economy is flourishing. The optimal time to expend resources for this program is now. The program is also very different than SLAYER."

"Don't delude yourself." argued Anzen darkly. "While the exact methods are inconsistent to what SENTINEL was drafted, the principle and most likely result is identical. After SLAYER, there is no way the Hokage will authorize this."

"Actually, you are mistaken." Shinryû interjected.

To the side of the room, Sakemé had taken a seat on a chair in surprise. He saw Mánagetsu approach somberly.

"What do you think of this?" Mánagetsu asked, the mysterious man was practically as all knowing as their boss and seemed to know things with such precision it was almost he had a telepathic universal spy-network or something. Other days, some would act not unlike a frustrating ninja

Sakemé took a pad of paper that was on the chair next to him. "You know what the methods are used to enhance soldiers in SLAYER? There are three big ones." Sakemé said beginning to write on the pad.

"Technological, Biochemical, and Genetically enhanced soldiers...?" Mánagetsu answered, a little unsure. It wasn't a subject he wanted to remember, because if he did, he would be remembering SLAYER too.

"Yes, that's for SLAYER, not Sentinel." Sakemé answered calmly. "SLAYER is _making_ a _perfect shinobi_, SENTINEL is _training_ the _ideal combatant_ for all possible scenarios."

"…" Anzen turned to Sakemé and frowned. '_What is he getting at? What is the difference?'_

"SENTINEL is the method that breaks free of tradition entirely. Its purpose is to train elite soldiers that can fight alone, in a squad, or in an army during open warfare. Training methods… fighting styles… the whole result altogether, will not be a shinobi assassin; but rather a unique class of soldier. SENTINEL is that training idea basically taken to greater levels, increasing its intensity, depth, and extent in all the lessons. But that's just the main idea." Shinryû elaborated as Sakemé revealed the table he just drew that compared SLAYER and SENTINEL.

"One question, what now?" Sakemé asked.

"Go home quickly and gather and organize all you have that fits under SENTINEL and SENTINEL alone. Get it ready for review, then come back here immediately." Shinryû answered, putting his briefcase on the ground.

"And you?" Shímbô asked, eyeing the briefcase.

"I just finished my twenty-hour shift. _I'm_ taking a nap." Shinryû replied in a tired voice.

"You do that." Semái said sympathetically.

'_No wonder he was so grumpy.'_ Sakemé thought, deadpan.

"Ready…" Mánagetsu said slowly.

"Go!" Anzen and Sakemé shouted in sync, forgoing the 'set' stage altogether.

Then everyone but Shinryû hurried out of the room. The doctor grunted once as he watched them leave before lying down on the carpet floor and falling to sleep.

May 18, 480 RN; 1352hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), Secure Briefing Room 7B

Takará walked up to the sleeping doctor and shook his head. He decided to let Shinryû sleep for the remaining tine until they started. Shifting his gaze around the room, he noted who was present.

There was Shinryû who was on the floor; he was often at odds with Takará, but between them they got things done. Then there was Sakemé, being one of the few to know the mysterious man's past; Takará knew that his brilliant mind and unique perspective and background made him invaluable during this. Anzen, a very passionate man with a strong sense of justice, he is well educated and well-versed in the legal field and is very helpful when dealing with politics to get the approval to do projects or to be allowed to do other things that some of the politicians might dislike. After him, there was Mánagetsu, a down to earth, competent worker. His background in mechanics and engineering gave good insight on the practicality of solutions or ideas. He and Tsúyosa were usually some of the ones who were building prototypes. Semái, who is in the medical field like Shinryû, but her work, was more into research than that medical care. After her, there was Shímbô, who was a cheerful, well-rounded scientist that had a talent for solving problems. And finally, there was Tsúyosa, the inventor and designer for prototypes.

'_Alright then.'_ Takará thought, "The Hokage will be in this room around three minutes." He announced loudly, "Let's get to it!"

Sandamine walked calmly into the room greeting them with a smile, "I'm sorry if I'm early." His apology caused a little bit of awkwardness but they also shrugged it off and turned to greet him.

"So everyone's here?" Shímbô asked, accidently waking Shinryû who was beside him.

"It would seem so." Takará said as everyone sat down on the unfolded chairs.

"Strength?" Takará began, "There are many philosophies on what defines true strength. I know most ninja say it is the missions and experience from them that are the best ways to get strong. Yes, it's more than that; the Chûnin Exam is an ideal representation of how our world fights today. For centuries war has been fought in this continent by many skirmishes in small groups using stealth, jutsu, and the same kind of basic default weaponry: kunai that are some times equipped with exploding tags, sometimes the tags are used alone, and shuriken. In several clashes of squads, has been the only way these wars have been fought. It is seen internationally as the most efficient combat system. But I for one think that's a little off." He continued, open his presentation off to his audience.

"Then just what do _you_ see as strength?" Anzen asked, trying to get a better read on Takará's full plan. "What other methods of warfare are there?"

"As ninja take missions, there will be small clashes that will result in loss of life. These missions are the foundation of our economy. And as you should all know, our economy suffers in times of war. The casualty rate is exponentially increased and the war has little visible progress for some time. It seems like the conflict is dragged out, prolonging it, which threatens morale and allows the war to cause further damages _and_ tragedies. This has to change." Takará explained gravely.

"Then how do we optimize the way warfare should go about then?" the Hokage asked. Takará wasn't stupid, this presentation already showed the general objective, but it failed to have factual reasons to be supported and approved. "What should we do differently?"

"The Squad Command System has proven time and again ideal for missions of reconnaissance, sabotage, assignation, and the like. However, the SCS, which was founded by the first Hokage was based on the several, decisive, practically one-on-one battles between the warring sides' best ninja that concluded the war." Takará explained trying to first point out flaws with the current system.

"In history, when armies of ninja clashed, the minimum casualty rate was around _sixty percent_. This was why it has been avoided during war, but it means that the majority of their alternate strategy includes guerilla warfare versus guerilla warfare. But as villages mature and become more and more populated, there is a direct proportion to the probability that open warfare battles will occur." Continued Takará, his voice becoming almost hypnotic as he pointed out the facts that the Hokage was looking for.

"Are you saying that open warfare… armies of ninja battling together in massive group battles, is the most likely future of warfare?" Sakemé asked in awe. "And we're finally doing something _now_?"

"To answer your first question yes… and no. Ninja are the combatants that can turn the tide of war, which means that the SCS isn't going anywhere. But there will be, at some point of time, some sort of battle that will require a large number of units to fight each other. This isn't limited to wartime; some times enemies of the mission clients have private armies under their command. While the said forces may be quantity over quality, it doesn't change the fact that a single or a pair of squads is very unlikely going to win against them." Takará explained.

"The fact of the matter is _ninja are ill suited for open warfare_ mainly because they are poorly trained to work in large numbers. And the grave loses suffered by this fact can change the tide of war too, so we need ninja as they are but we still need to face the fact that ninja don't fight well in armies. This is where a new kind of ninja is required to be the backbone of any military force. We need a mainline infantry unit that can fight in small squads like the original ninja, but can fight effectively in large groups as well." Takará concluded. "And this is where SENTINEL comes in, while their SCS may be only producing specialized ninja forces in the areas such as missions of reconnaissance, sabotage, and assignation like I mentioned before, SENTINEL will be producing a well-rounded, exceptionally skilled, and well-functioning infantry type that would make the bulk of any combat service's personnel."

"Who would be these combatants?" the Hokage asked, curious.

"Well, SENTINEL is actually focused on trying to make baseline-ninja so we wouldn't have to have several separate groups of soldiers with varying capabilities. We need to see if _one_ subject can have SENTINEL training as well as a slightly modified version the Academy's current lessons, and still be able to smoothly operate with other shinobi who have _not_ been through the SENTINEL Program." Shinryû clarified. "If someone can do that, than we just rebuild the Academy's curriculum, saving time, money, and have no one will have any conflicts with newly trained SENTINEL ninja soldiers. We have to first show that _one_ person can fluidly operate with normal ninja before we do anything that challenges the SCS."

"I get it," Mánagetsu voiced aloud, "you want to make sure that if it doesn't work out, than we at least won't have a bunch of people unfit for active field duty like SLAYER did. That makes selecting a candidate subject that could overcome a possible handicap like that very difficult."

"Handicap is a very inaccurate term, Mánagetsu." Anzen corrected. "It's more like being forced to adapt to a completely new lifestyle, _that_ will be a challenge _if_ the training is ineffective."

"I was talking about _finding_ the subject, not the subject itself. Finding a good candidate will be difficult." Mánagetsu clarified.

"Not quite," Takará cut in. "We need to make sure SENTINEL subjects can work with other allies and our other shinobi. It wouldn't do to have to send Jônin back to the Academy just to go through SENTINEL."

"That still leaves the problem of finding a good subject. It would have to be someone with very specific requirements." Mánagetsu pressed.

"Actually, the ideal candidate has been found. And _when,_ not if, this works, the ninja world will evolve and enter a new era in response to him." Takará announced, grinning widely.

"Who?" Semái asked frowning as she mentally compiled a list of everything required for a good subject for SENTINEL.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Shinryû answered, sounding… depressed.

"No." The Hokage answered, deadly serious.

The room instantly fell silent for a moment. Shinryû exhaled slowly before standing up, grabbing his briefcase. "Hokage-sama, a word alone please." He said coolly gesturing at the door with his head.

'_Shinryû… you…'_ Takará narrowed his eyes. Maybe his last plays were more helpful than he had first expected. He had anticipated this, but it was still unlikely. Yet, despite the probability and statistics, it was happening right before him.

Raising an eyebrow, the Hokage cautiously followed him out of the room.

Mánagetsu turned to Takará with a small smile. Shinryû was as challenging of a debater as they come; Shinryû constantly had proven that when he and Takará argued. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" Mánagetsu stated more than asked.

"Oh, come on." Takará chuckled. "Do you think I know _everything_?" he said in an amused, sarcastic tone.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone just stared at Takará. Their expressions of annoyance and exasperation gave the unanimous reply of _yes_! After a moment of awkward silence the conversation resumed as they tried to ignore Takará's disconcerting yet uncanny intelligence and foresight.

"Well," Semái mused aloud as the door to the room closed behind her, "he _does_ fit rather well all things considered."

"How so?" Anzen asked, genuinely curious.

"Well," Shímbô spoke up in contemplation. "Let's first look at Naruto's characteristics. I've had no direct contact with the boy so I don't know much about him myself. How does his characteristics fit the requirements for the SENTINEL subject?"

"What we do know for sure is that Uzumaki-san is an orphan and a young child who has been given a curse on the day he was born." Sakemé spoke up. He looked at his old boss for permission, after seeing Takará nod, he walked up to a board and began a list. "Due to his age and the status of his parents, he is still a blank slate as it were. He is ready to learn if people but teach him."

"Mental capacity? What about his actual mental state? Psychological damage is still likely going to affect him for years to come."

"Alright, no conjecturing. What are the _facts_? The politics _love_ facts." Anzen asked half-sarcastic at the end.

"From what I have observed," Takará spoke up, "he is already very self-reliant, and has gained the mindset of a war-veteran along with very acute survival instincts."

"In a mere child?" Anzen asked in horror, realizing the implications on how one so young would have gained such abilities.

"What… but that…" Tsúyosa stuttered, echoing Anzen's shock.

"That aside, his young age makes it easier to teach him." Sakemé added. " It also makes it possible for us to repair some of the damage done to him."

"Hey, these are mainly mental and emotional points, what about physical points? Is he physically able to handle going through SENTINEL?" Mánagetsu asked.

"Yeah…" Semái spoke quietly, "he has proven to be exceptionally… resilient." Semái was speaking from her own experience, that much was clear to everyone in the room. As a staff member of the Konoha General Hospital, she had witnessed certain things that no amount of medical experience would help sleep after what she saw.

A sudden 'thud' was heard from the wall that was adjacent to the hallway. Something or someone hit the wall very hard just outside the room, hinting that the conversation the doctor and Hokage were having was getting rather intense.

"Um, I think we're forgetting something." Shímbô continued holding up his right pointer finger, ignoring the commotion outside. "We are focusing a little too much on what we _will_ do in SENTINEL and how to maintain the approval Hokage-sama." Shímbô then frowned as he continued. "There are other parties involved. We need to gain the approval of the actual-"

"Done." Takará answered automatically. "I put Hánjô and Shinryû on that, and it was a success."

Mánagetsu tilted his head to the side, catching something. "If it is what I think it is, then how do you already know it was successful boss?" Mánagetsu questioned with a raised eyebrow. All eyes turned to him and the room stayed silent for a moment as a result.

"Hey, it's a simple question." Mánagetsu said defensively.

"Oh, did I say that I knew, Mánagetsu?" Takará asked innocently. "I'm sorry, obviously it is impossible to confirm its success until I check with Hánjô and Shinryû about it." He amended in an apologetic voice.

"Why is it," Anzen asked obviously incredulous, "that for some strange, inexplicable reason…" he paused and looked directly into Takará's eyes. "I don't believe you." Anzen concluded strongly even though his face was deadpan.

"Oh Anzen," Takará groaned dramatically as he put on a face of misery. "I am so hurt that you have so little faith in me…" he paused and pretended to sniffle.

'_Wow,'_ Shímbô thought, '_the old man's gettin' pretty good._' It was obviously all an act; they all knew that because they knew how he truly was. However…

'_That's actually a skillful act.'_ Sakemé observed, mildly impressed. Well, more like slightly impressed, but to be fair, Sakemé _was_ a perfectionist.

Anzen, however, was unfazed by this performance. "You are as manipulative as you are intelligent. And that's saying something."

"Is it?" Sakemé asked with mock surprise. They were getting off topic and this was starting to annoy him. He was going to speak to them more in order to return their focus back to the main idea, but a murderous and bloodthirsty presence was felt as it swept across the room. While every one of them were effectively frozen and silenced by this ominous aura it was fairly clear what the source of this killer intent was.

The Hokage. And the Hokage wasn't angry, but was absolutely _livid_!

Takará sighed. "You idiot. You just _had_ to bring that up, didn't you?" he grumbled under his breath, looking down. The killing intent receded and the man looked up as he continued. "Alright!" he barked with authority. "We got work to do and not a lot of time to do it. Once the Hokage agrees, and he hopefully will, here's what's gonna happen: we aren't going to be allowed to use sentinel yet, so we have a less extreme plan that we're calling Trooper Education Program. It's gonna be a little complicated, and we'll have to have several high-ranked and high-level ninja consultants too. But we need to balance our schedule with the Academy's so they don't conflict. If we manage that, then we have to worry less about him and his peers' interactions."

"After that, we should decide how to progress from there." Sakemé serenely sat as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

"One question:" Semái quietly interjected looking down, "how do we get this done when, at least when the vessel is concerned, Konoha has wide-spread civil unrest and disobedience? As some of the current animosity stands… "

"Some factions may instigate a civil war." Takará finished. He smirked and pulled everyone's attention to the door. "So from here on out, this project does not exist. Now, any moment they'll come back in and the Hokage-sama will approve… I hope. But after this, it will be six, seven years when we can actually know the true results…"

**End of Entry**

**Chapter was redone due to a certain review that was displeased at the original cliffhanger. Updated at:1/24/12**

**Chapter three is going smoothly, but I cannot help but be curious at how you think Naruto will behave in the Academy. Since parts of SENTINEL are already taught in the Academy, he attends almost full time with additional instruction after Academy school days, and as such he interacts with his own generation when he is in the Academy. What do you predict how Naruto will behave and what impression will he leave on others? Please insert information in forum if you cannot do another Journal Review.**

**This Journal is beginning to come into full and soon the influences will be more apparent.**

**Again, thank you for reading The Legends' Genesis.**

**-End of Line**


	3. Test Run, Scenario Start

Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 3, Test Run

June 18, 487 RN; 1857hrs (Local Time); forest that borders outskirts of Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), 

The blur moved through the forest at top speed to the rendezvous point that had been set earlier. Heavy guard had defended the objective, fortunately, the intelligence was correct. But for all progress so far, something was off. After all those years of secret lessons he could tell in his gut. But Naruto couldn't place just what it was; it might not be because of the training exercise. Maybe he should have left more than a note at the lab…

June 18, 487 RN; 1858hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), North-Eastern Village. Business District 2

"_WHERE_ IS MY TROOPER SUIT?" Mánagetsu roared indignantly at the empty case wear his recently 'relocated' project had been.

"Um," Sakemé said, producing a note. "It seems the boy has 'borrowed' it." The man sighed at his colleague; "It's your own fault for bragging and showing off to a child who has had practically no toy's in his deprived, Spartan-like lifestyle."

"Okay, Sakemé-san…" Mánagetsu turned to Sakemé significantly calmer than before. "I might not know what a Spartan lifestyle is, but did you _see_ what he did to the Hokage Monument? The kid is either having the time of his life training or pulling of another stunt for a 'mission simulation'. And why can't they just call them what are? Unconstructive pranks!"

"You're just being biased." Sakemé crossed his arms pointedly. Mánagetsu had been a mark for several of Naruto's numerous simulations. "Those 'unconstructive pranks' have revealed multiple major security holes and failures that people have on their part for village security. If an actual enemy exploited those holes instead those pranks, the fallout would be… catastrophic."

"Indeed." Agreed Takará, walking up to the two men. "While his antics can be amusing and annoying, they are undeniable proofs of shortcomings of diligence. And for years he has been told to exploit such openings."

Mánagetsu gulped and shared a glanced with Sakemé. "Oh… hi boss."

"Hello." Takará replied and continued about their dear protégée. "Did you know that he wears orange to make it harder for himself? And yet still he is not stopped and is pursued only after the fact? That boy's speed and evasion are impressive." Takará put both of his hands on his cane and leaned forward slightly. "Now, did the boy do something to the suit new prototype?"

Mánagetsu looked down and sighed. "Yeah, he just took it and left a note saying he needed to borrow it."

"Not exactly proper paperwork and procedure for requisition, but at least it's something." Sakemé shrugged, half-joking about the sudden loss of possibly the highest quality combat apparel for a multi-year risky investment of a black-sheet project. "Can't help but wonder why he would take it _now_."

Takará raised an eyebrow at that. "How so?" he inquired.

"Prototype gear is still here. He has the dress, but he seems to be using older equipment. All the nonessential attachments are accounted for, I checked. He knows that this is light armor for basic protection and is easier to sneak around in than the previous suits we've had him try on. He is still a cadet so he only has blunts, (slang for blunted training weapons that would normally be razor edged) and he's only able to use the practice equipment, so he's running light." Sakemé summarized.

"So it's another stealth prank- um, mission simulation?" Mánagetsu asked. "He has gear to dash through a scrap and has been missing since this afternoon. What's the game this time, boss?"

"There is no game." Takará answered softly.

"Ah," the burly man replied in understanding. "Alright, keep your 'secret mission,' but if he wrecks my suit before I even have gotten to fin-"

"No, you misunderstand." Takará interrupted more urgently. "There _is_ no 'secret mission'… none at all."

"Unsanctioned action with SPIRE gear?" Sakemé asked incredulously. "Naruto knows better then that, but if you-"

"Naruto was unable to create acceptable jutsu results and failed his Genin Exam today. I was talking to the Hokage about it earlier." Takará explained becoming increasingly worried. "Naruto was looking forward to graduating so much…"

"Then what is the boy up to? Probably letting off his emotions by training somewhere." Sakemé deduced before frowning, "But why the suit? Why would he steal the suit if it wasn't a SENTINEL training exercise?"

"We can just ask." Mánagetsu offered.

Sakemé turned to the burly engineer. "How do we do that? Telepathy?" Sakemé snorted sarcastically.

"The new helmet…" Takará said slowly grabbing the two's attention. "It… it has a radio in it."

Mánagetsu nodded, "It's still patchy but if he's still in the village we get a strong enough connection to talk. If he's not, we can send the 'Return/Regroup signal right? If it's on long enough, the helmet may still be able pick up enough for him to get the message."

"Do it." Takará ordered, "can we boost the signal outside the village?"

"We're getting a relay in two days, so we aren't ready to risk frying the Main Radio without the proper tools…" Mánagetsu explained apologetically. "We need Tsúyosa-san and his expertise for this, but he's the one bringing the relay."

"Sakemé! I want you to find Shímbô if Naruto-kun isn't in the village and try to reach him somehow. I'll see if Hánjô-san or Semái-san has seen him today. He opens up to them the most." Takará said seriously.

"HAI." The two men replied just as gravely.

June 18, 487 RN; 2103hrs (Local Time); forest that borders outskirts of Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village),

As a ranking ninja Hánjô was among the ninja scrambled when the alarm was raised. But when she heard the Hokage she could have sworn her blood froze. '_That blonde idiot! What does he think he's doing?'_

"The scroll that he has taken is so dangerous that the very first Hokage sealed it away!" Sarutobi, the Third Hokage briefed the ninja. "If misused, in the wrong hands, it could be deadly!" Hánjô gritted her teeth as she heard her less Naruto-informed comrades all but demand permission to kill Naruto on sight. "It was taken half a day ago. We have to find him!"

There was no denying they had their orders. The ninja blurred out of existence as they scattered to locate the village pariah and the sensitive manuscript. Hánjô realized all to well that the Hokage hadn't given the order to kill the boy. But he didn't declare not to do so either. This was bad. Really bad. '_I have to find him first!'_

"_In any operation involving sensitive Intel, the need-to-know mantra is an annoyingly convenient truth. Letting people know certain things during certain parts of the mission can cause chaos and ensure failure. Trying to use mobs to cover operations is not unheard of. Whatever was happening had shaken the metaphorical hornets' nest. If you can't be invisible, many operatives will try to pin blame on someone else. What better way to distract a village of ninja then to hint that an asset as high-risk as a jinchuuriki is going rouge._

_If you are dealing with a mole, jinchuuriki are likely to distract the village from the real threat. If you are onto the said mole, then you can set up a trap and hope that the scapegoat is able to take the heat while you are running a smokescreen. Such a gamble is less then ideal, but if you are going to take it dosen't hurt to have some insurance._

_Such as being able to get a message that the jinchuuriki made contact with a trusted old friend and was going to catch the mole in his own set-up. Having a pair of ANBU Black Ops hiding nearby the meeting point should anything go wrong is nice too. After all, the mole was after sensitive Intel so giving Naruto a little back up should it hit the fan, is no way overkill."_

_-Sentinel Origin Memoirs_

Sadly, Hánjô was not in on the whole thing…

Takará just _knew_ that would come back to haunt him. But enough about that, currently Takará was rather proud that he was able to revive the surprisingly subdued Hokage. While he would in no way blackmail his leader, it did help convince Sarutobi to allow the project some… field training.

After all, Naruto took the suit. The two ANBU were going to see a pretty unique fight.

Unfortunately things don't always go as planned and an unexpected party happened to find Naruto first. Umino Iruka.


End file.
